Lifestyle

Choosing a Gym in Canberra

I’ve been a member of several gyms in Canberra, and have also signed up for a range of fitness activities. If you are thinking about joining a gym, here are a few questions to consider.

1. Do you need to sign up for a fixed period eg six months or more? If so, will you be confident that you won’t drop out after the first week or two, and waste most of your money?

2. Can you try out the gym or fitness classes before signing up? Most gyms that I’ve been to allow for a trial period at little or no cost.

3. Are the location and opening hours suitable?

4. Will you have to pay for parking to attend the gym? If so, factor this into the cost.

5. Is the range of equipment suitable, and will it be available when you want to use it, for example, are there enough treadmills to meet the demand at peak times? I left one gym, where this was a problem.

6. What gym classes are available at the times that you want to attend? For example, you might like to attend yoga classes, but if these are only available when you are at work, you might be better to look elsewhere.

7. Are the facilities and change rooms clean, and are there enough showers when you might want to use them? I left another gym because there were always queues for the showers after morning classes.

8. Are staff available to provide advice? Can they provide useful suggestions for avoiding injuries, and exercise modifications if you are recovering from an injury?

9. What other on-site facilities are available, such as a swimming pool, cafe, massage service? Are these important to you?

10. If you are a female have you considered the advantages and disadvantages of female-only gyms
– weight machines and equipment are set up for use by females
– some include free breakfast and toiletries
– no unwanted attention from male patrons
– on the other hand, you won’t be able to go to the gym with a male partner, or meet male friends (or potential partners) at the gym.

My experience is that the gym needs to be located close to work or home.
I signed up to one gym membership that included pool usage, but I didn’t actually use the pool much.
Having free breakfast (cereal, fruit and toast) at the female only gym meant that I didn’t undo the benefits of my early morning workout by stopping for a donut on my way to work.

If you are looking to join a gym in Canberra what is important to you?

If you have joined a gym what have been your good and bad experiences? What would you recommend?

“My experience is that the gym needs to be located close to work or home.”

Not necessarily. I used to travel out to Fyshwick every day when I was a member of Gold’s. A dedicated lifter will travel a long way to a decent gym. I’m saving to go to Melbourne to train at Doherty’s (the best gym in Australia) just so I can say I’ve trained there.